For a daily driver, the stock exhaust and intake has plenty of flow to use with a tune. The stock SS muffler is a flow through design already.
Now if you decide to do an intake/exhaust upgrade, do it before the tune so your tuner can match it up to those mods.
If you do those mods after the tune, you will probably have to get your tune updated.

 

Although I don't have an SS yet(although that may change very soon), sinabu & George do have valid points. As the Admin here I read every post, and I mean every post, and the consensus is that on a Normally Aspirated HHR AKA the LS & LT models, the Trifecta Tune is a good thing...and yes mine all have it.

But on the SS's, either "dead nuts stock" or the GM upgrade are the ways to go for driveabilty and dependability, the Super Sport's are a hoot plain and simple.

 

Trifecta is way more fun than stg-1....mine has had both for 78.000 miles, I had the lower wiring problem, but they didn't even make the connectors yet when mine was installed.....Honestly it makes a stock SS seem boring.......

 

For the most part any tune is better than the stage tune. But you have to remember GM was still warranting these cars after the stage program was put in.

Just be warned that depending on the level of tune and your driving habits the clutch, cv joints and lower control arm bushing will have a shorter life cycle.

 

Dennis would the Moog bearing / bushing resolve the wear problem in the SS ?

 

I would think that it would. That is what I intent to use when I drop the cradle to change things around. My intent is to stock pile parts and do everything at once.

 

The sure cured many things in my LS front end!

 

Thanks Oldblue. Mine does have a lot of miles on it, ~36K but the tune and the fact that it doesn't have a LSD has taken it toll on some parts. To be expected as far as I'm concerned but as I move forward and step it up in the power department I just want to address a few things when I have it down for the conversions.

 

Going from an LT to an SS I can agree - it's night and day. Hate to say it since the LT is my daily driver, but it feels like a crappy 4 banger compared to the SS. I've left plenty of people scratching their heads driving the SS, and it's bone stock.

My LT has 119k miles on it, and still runs like it did the day I bought it. Installed the trifecta tune around 90k miles - no problems what so ever. Just keep changing the oil (mobil 1) and use premium gas for better MPG.

My LT has the GMPP CAI and GMPP Exhaust with a trifecta tune. Definitely has some get up in 1st and 2nd gear - but you will keep saying "not quite the performance car like a Focus ST, etc". The SS will not have you saying that. There's a reason why there's a GM Performance tab under the hood.

 

I've had the Trifecta tune on my otherwise stock SS (No upgraded MAP sensors like for the GM tune) for a couple years now. Lots more fun than stock SS, and no troubles so far.

So a software only option is available too.